Crushed

If I could sum up the last four days with one word, crushed would be it.  Let me explain.

I was in the kitchen, halfway through making biscuits for a dinner I needed to take to a lady who just had a baby when I hear wailing from outside my home.  Aubrey comes in screaming her foot was hurt.  I promptly remove her sock and there, to my horror, was her crushed toe.  I asked how it happened and she replied "Faith dropped a tv tray on it!"  The inner nurse in me kicked in and rushed her to the bathroom to rinse it and evaluate it.  When I got a good look at it, the matrix of the nail, think anchor to the nail, was popped out and the skin was ripped and pulled forward.  (NO EXAGGERATION)  I cleaned it the best I could then went to find a tourniquet.  Grabbing a white terry hand towel, I wrapped her foot so as to apply some pressure and get her to the hospital.  Realizing I didn't have anything to hold the towel on, I grabbed a silly bands bracelet off of my counter and proceeded to hold the towel on her foot with that.  Done!

I gave instructions to Grace on how to finish biscuits - which were never completed - and flew out the door with Aubrey.  "Honey, keep your foot up.  Turn sideways and put it up on this" I said pointing to the center console.  There was traffic because this all happened on Friday - before Easter - at 445 pm.  Normally, I'd go to St Lukes Meridian which is super close, but the overpass to get to the hospital was backed up and I couldn't wait.  I hopped on the I84 to head to Boise and take her to St Luke's Hospital there where they also had a childrens wing.  I'm trying to reassure her as we travel and when we arrive, I park in the emergency area, and pick up my sixty pound baby and haul her in to be looked at.

Our wait was about a half hour to go back, and we were met with a sweet CNA and Nurse later.  Vianay was our CNA - gentle and kind, she was able to get the process started.  Then, enter Sam.  (Just wait, she gets really popular soon)  Sam was a chipper blonde nurse who looked much younger than she was, but hey, so do I.  She was kind enough to be patient with my scared Aubrey.  It was a process of xrays to determine if there was a break, soaking to clean the wound and soften the nail, and sutures to stitch the flap of skin on and put the toenail back into place.

This was all rather scary for Aubrey and Sam brought her a puppy dog stuffed animal to hold.  During the suture process, Aubrey grabbed onto Sam's hand and cried "Is it over?  Is it over?"  and they had been stitching already... Thankfully that lidocane worked.  Aunt Allison, Aubrey and I all were discharged after nearly four hours in the ER and headed home.

The next morning, I woke up to go meet a friend for breakfast with my girls and sister.  We all ordered food and my sister and I usually split two meals so we can eat a bit of everything.  I shoved half of my "Momma's French Toast Breakfast" onto her plate and she gave me half of her "Buttermilk Fried Chicken" plate with sauce.  I asked her what the sauce was and it looked like syrup.  She said to taste it before I ate it.  The moment the sauce hit my tongue and throat after swallowing, my tongue and throat were on fire! I am allergic - to HONEY!  I tried to help the swelling with cold water - and couldn't get it down.  We had to leave there and go across the street to Costco to buy Benadryl to stop the reaction.  It starts to subside and I decided I needed to take Aubrey to the mall for some better sandals to help protect her toe.

We get to Dillards and go to the shoe department for kids, and come across a cute pair.  She slides them on and looks pretty chipper.  Saying farewell to my friend, we start to head home, when I remember I needed shorts for the girls for summer, and Old Navy was having a great sale.  I stopped in for a moment and the girls began running.  I told them to stop so nobody gets hurt... aaaaaaand, Faith accidentally steps on Aubrey's bum toe, ripping the bandaid off, popping three stitches, and causing the matrix of the nail to be removed again....

Guess where I got to go - again?  Yes, the ER.

Allison was thankfully able to meet me there again and we again, were admitted to the ER.  First doctor who came in had his one arm in a sling and couldn't help what needed to happen so he sent in another doctor.  Second doctor suggested remove stitches, as they were no good at this point, remove flap of skin, and then dermabond (skin glue) the toenail in place.  Aubrey again starts freaking out and wails she wants "Sam" over and over.  Thankfully, Sam was there to comfort tiny Aubrey.  Goodness...  So - with a bit of a meltdown and a fight, we get into the final stages of discharge to go home.  She's dermabonded and we are able to go home.

That first night of dermabond, I was up all night, checking her toe, circulation, for infection, etc... NO sleep.  That Sunday was Easter Sunday and I was already spent.  I managed to get everyone to church, make dinner, and then remembered to check her toe.  Aubrey's toe looked bad... it was oozing and weeping and had some puss looking stuff goo-ing out of the wound.  I was worried about infection, so I went back to the ER.

Sam and Vianay were there, thankfully to ease tiny girl.  This time, Sam brought Aubrey an Easter basket.  I'm talking with the doctor and he said it didn't look infected but it didn't.... ha ha - that makes ZERO sense, but sends us home with an RX for antibiotics if it starts oozing or gets super swollen and red... ok, deal.

Nobody got out of bed on time for anything on Monday... it's been a day of recovery.  I'm exhausted more than I realized... but thankful, so thankful for tender mercies.  God really is in the details of our lives.